Au Revoir Paree

Our final excursion of the week was a cruise down the Seine. It was a beautiful day and we saw many of the same sights and some new ones from a different perspective.

The American Church in Paris is the first American church established outside of the United States, tracing its roots back to 1814.  The Pont Alexandre III is considered the most elegant, ornate, and extravagant deck arch bridge in Paris, with its candelabras and four towering 17-meter pylons crowned with brilliant gilt-bronze statues of winged horses. Then it was on to the Grand Palais. This exhibition hall and museum complex is world-renowned for its classic stone facade, Art Nouveau ironwork, and its massive, sweeping glass roof—which stands as the largest iron and glass structure in Europe. Next we passed the Musée d’Orsay, housing the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, This was followed by theLouvre and Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge across the Seine.

Next we passed the Palais of Justice, the judicial center and courthouse. This was followed by Notre Dame Cathedral. Damaged by the horrendous fire, we could see the scaffolding where it was being repaired. Then we passed under the Pont du Sully and encountered a dive boat with rescue divers in the water. There was a stranded barge. We never learned what happened. Then on the the judicial center of Paris.

Next we came to the Institut of France, a society that manages five academies. The historic Hausmann-style buildings along the Seine were commissioned by Napoleon III as an urban renewal project. The Palais Bourbon is the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament. The stone statue is the Zouave of the Pont de l’Alma in , sculpted by Georges Diebolt in 1856 to honor soldiers from the Crimean War. It serves as an informal flood gauge. Finally we came to the Place de la Bastille, where the Bastille prison once stood. The only monument still standing on the square is the Colonne de Juillet, a column commemorating the revolution in 1830 during which king Charles X was replaced by king Louis-Philippe. The 171 foot tall column honors the 504 victims during the three days of the revolution. Another 196 victims of yet another revolution were added to the crypt in 1848. The column is topped by the ‘Spirit of Liberty’ statue.

It is here where we ended our week in Paris.